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Just the Stats

Victim Service Providers in U.S. Counties, 2017

Owen Bernstein, Former BJS Fellow, and
Rachel E. Morgan, PhD, BJS Statistician

January 2023

Key Findings

  • In 2017, approximately 12,200 victim service providers (VSPs) operated in the United States. VSPs were defined as organizations that served victims of crime or abuse as their primary function or had dedicated staff or programs to serve victims. VSPs included organizations that identified as nonprofit or faith-based; governmental; hospital, medical, or emergency; campus; tribal; or some other type (see Victim Service Providers in the United States, 2017 (NCJ 252648, BJS, November 2019) for details).
  • The existence of VSPs in U.S. counties ranged from a rate of 0 per 100,000 county residents to 177 per 100,000 (figure 1). For example, Harris County, Texas (which includes the city of Houston) had a rate of 1.3 VSPs per 100,000 county residents while Maricopa County, Arizona (which includes the city of Phoenix) had a rate of 2.3 per 100,000 residents.

Note: Includes victim service providers (VSPs) in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Excludes VSPs within the U.S. military. The rate per 100,000 residents is calculated as the number of VSPs divided by the county population and multiplied by 100,000.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Census of Victim Service Providers, 2017; and U.S. Census Bureau, 2013–2017 American Community Survey 5-year estimates.

  • Victims served by VSPs in U.S. counties ranged from a rate of 0 per 1,000 county residents to 9,832 per 1,000 (figure 2). For example, Duval County, Florida (which includes the city of Jacksonville) had a rate of 42 victims served by VSPs per 1,000 county residents. Multnomah County, Oregon (which includes the city of Portland) had a rate of 48 per 1,000 county residents.
  • Some counties had a small number of VSPs per county relative to the number of victims served, such as Miami-Dade County, Florida (had 2.0 VSPs per 100,000 county residents and served 704 victims per 1,000 county residents). In others, including Plymouth County, Massachusetts (had 2.7 VSPs per 100,000 and served 189 victims per 1,000) and Dare County, North Carolina (had 5.6 VSPs per 100,000 and served 133 victims per 1,000), these rates were more proportional.

Note: Includes victim service providers (VSPs) in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Excludes VSPs within the U.S. military. The rate per 1,000 residents is calculated as the number of victims served divided by the county population and multiplied by 1,000. The generated rate per 1,000 residents for six counties may equal or exceed 1,000 due to the area served. The VSPs are located in a state capital or provided services statewide. This means some victims resided in counties that were served by VSPs located outside of their county.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Census of Victim Service Providers, 2017; and U.S. Census Bureau, 2013–2017 American Community Survey 5-year estimates.

Findings are based on the Bureau of Justice Statistics’ 2017 National Census of Victim Service Providers (NCVSP), the first nationwide data collection on VSPs. The census asked organizations whether they had served victims in the 6 months prior to data collection. From October 2016 to July 2017, the NCVSP gathered data on location and type of organization from VSPs. U.S. Census Bureau 2013–2017 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year population estimates were used to develop rates of VSPs and victims per county. For more information on the NCVSP Methodology, see Victim Service Providers in the United States, 2017 (NCJ 252648, BJS, November 2019).

The Bureau of Justice Statistics of the U.S. Department of Justice is the principal federal agency responsible for measuring crime, criminal victimization, criminal offenders, victims of crime, correlates of crime, and the operation of criminal and civil justice systems at the federal, state, tribal, and local levels. BJS collects, analyzes, and disseminates reliable and valid statistics on crime and justice systems in the United States, supports improvements to state and local criminal justice information systems, and participates with national and international organizations to develop and recommend national standards for justice statistics. Alexis R. Piquero, PhD, is the director.

This report was written by Owen Bernstein, Former BJS Fellow, and Rachel E. Morgan, PhD, BJS Statistician.

January 2023, NCJ 305315

Date Created: November 2, 2022